deadbeat
Use Deadbeat in a sentence
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noun
1.
a person who deliberately avoids paying debts.
2.
a loafer; sponger.
adjective
3.
being a parent who neglects parental responsibilities, especially one who does not pay child support: deadbeat dads.
4.
Horology. noting any of various escapements acting without recoil of the locking parts from the shock of contact. See diag. under escapement.
5.
Electricity. (of the indicator of an electric meter and the like) coming to a stop with little or no oscillation.
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Deadbeat
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To deadbeat
Collins
World English Dictionary
deadbeat (ˈdɛdˌbiːt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | informal a lazy or socially undesirable person |
| 2. | chiefly (US) |
| a. a person who makes a habit of avoiding or evading his or her responsibilities or debts | |
| b. (as modifier): a deadbeat dad | |
| 3. | a high grade escapement used in pendulum clocks |
| 4. | (modifier) (of a clock escapement) having a beat without any recoil |
| 5. | (modifier) physics |
| a. (of a system) returning to an equilibrium position with little or no oscillation | |
| b. (of an instrument or indicator) indicating a true reading without oscillation | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
deadbeat
"worthless sponging idler," 1877, Amer.Eng. slang, from dead + beat; earlier used colloquially to mean "completely beaten" (1821).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
deadbeat definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
For every deadbeat borrower, there is an equal and opposite imprudent and usurious creditor.
Old boyfriends called her rage prone, co-workers called her snotty, landlords called her a deadbeat.
Deadbeat dads breathe easy, its only science at work.
Gwen's story starts with a deadbeat dad who walks out on the family, leaving her single mom struggling to get by.
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